To Wake up in a Dream
by Hebi-san
Summary: Oneshot Sometimes dreams can hurt us more viciously than reallife.Matsumoto,Gin,Hitsugaya. Warning:Character death. R and R please!


Story title: To Wake up in a Dream

_One shot- and I'm sticking to it_

Disclaimer: None of the Bleach characters are mine…obviously.

Note: It's bloody hard writing bleach… well at least writing it good… so I'm not completely certain the characters are in character as much as I'd like them to be…

Warning: _Keep in mind that I've just watched the anime, I haven't read the manga ( currently my economy don't allow that…L ) so if there's any facts or such that are just dead wrong you'll have to excuse a poor sod like me._

Characters: Matsumoto, Gin, Hitsugaya

Summary: Sometimes our dreams can hurt us more viciously than real life.

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It had to be a dream, she thought absently. There was no other manner in which to explain these events. It had to be a dream because… because reality could never be this cruel. A nightmare! That was it! Just a nightmare. That was all it was…

All of this ran through her head during that microsecond it took for him to stumble forward once, then straightened with a jerk, before falling backwards. She caught him, and feeling dizzy and weak in the knees she lowered him with her to the blood stained ground. The soil felt soft, wet as it was with blood from both friend and foe. She cradled his head in her lap, and he stared up at her with those wide green eyes. They seemed oddly glazed over though, almost feverish.

A thick, warm fluid was seaping out of his back, through her fingers and poured down on the already soft ground. She felt an insane urge to push that blood back inside of his body. Back to where it was so badly needed but...

"Matsu…moto…"

"Oh, taichou…" she whispered and stroked his white mess of hair,"… you're supposed to keep that red stuff on the inside, you know…"

"Matsumoto…" his pained voice held a note of urgency," Duck."

Duck…? There was a duck?

Then she heard that triumphant laugh, and she looked up with a start. It was too late. She knew that even before she reached to draw her zanpakuto. The arrancar's blade was lowering, and she had no way of blocking it. Her fingers gripped the limp body of her taichou harder. It was supposed to be a dream dammit!

Oh good graceful God in the heavens above, let me wake up…!

A flash of silver cut off her visage, and a loud metallic ringing of steel meeting steel vibrated through the heated air on the battlefield. The arrancar's zanapkuto was halted inches away from them by another blade.

"Nah, Grimmy-chan. Can' let ya do that…!" she heard 'Maru say in that semi-serious, semi-teasing manner of his. The tall former taichou stepped in front of them and raised his sword against the grinning arrancar. His silver hair was plastered against his head by the rain and the lightening made his pale face look like a grinning skull.

Throughout her entire life, from that fateful day they first met until now, he had always remained her knight in shining armour. The one to slay her dragons before bouncing of into the sunset with her…. Or more often than not, without her.

When her small taichou shuddered in her arms, she tore her gaze away from her old friend and the arrancar. Hitsugaya's round face was white, and his breathing shallow.

The light in his eyes was fading. She closed her eyes and buried her face against his neck.

"Please…" she whispered aloud. "Let this be a dream…"

"Matsumoto!"

And she bolted upright.

Looking around in confusion she expected to see that bloodied battlefield but she found herself sitting on the sofa in the 10th division's office. And her tiny taichou was standing above her, his arms crossed across his narrow chest as he scowled at her. His round face was set in a serious frown, much too serious for his childlike appearance. Her heart leaped in joy, and then so did the rest of her as she bounced off the couch and caught her taichou in a strangling hug, most probably smothering him on her boobs.

"Matsumoto!" she heard him protest in a muffled voice," What the hell are you doing?!"

Laughing heartily she let him go. He was glaring at her, his round cheeks stained red as he blushed.

"Oh, taichou, I had such a horrible dream," she replied, feeling tears form in her eyes as she remembered the dream. "I'm just so glad to see y… ta… taichou…?"

The world was starting to blur around them, and her heart froze in her chest. "T…taichou…" she whispered, her tears falling freely now. He glared at her again, and she watched as he opened his mouth to speak again, but she couldn't hear him. She wanted to scream but found that she had no strength left in her to do so. Instead she just felt herself being swept away and…

She bolted into a sitting position. She was panting into the dark hospital room. Everything was silent and the shadows that were cast by the full moon were long and jagged. The three other shinigamis in the room were sound asleep. Ikkaku rather loudly so with his snoring.

Stifling a sob she climbed out of bed and softly padded out of the room, down the vacant hall and into another room. This room usually was reserved for the captain and usually held no more than one occupant at a time, but with so many wounded after the latest battle against the arrancar even the captains had to jostle with the rest of them. The figures in the three beds also seemed to be deep in slumber when she crept inside- Kyoraku-taichou moved once with a grunt before settling back down.

She moved past his bed, and Ukitake-taichou's bed. Both of the captains had been severely injured and since Unohana-taichou was still in a coma it had been uncertain if they'd survive- especially Ukitake-san who's illness weakened him further. But they were still alive. Unlike her own taichou.

She stopped in front of the last bed closest to the window and looked down at the sleeping form laying there.

He always sleeps curled up, she thought numbly. As if he was trying to protect something (his heart?) from injury. He stirred from his sleep, and she waited patiently for him to notice her presence. It didn't take long.

"Rangiku…?" Gin murmured blearily and sat up so the quilt slipped down to rest in his lap. "What are ya doin' 'ere?"

"Hold me…" she whispered and heard her voice breaking. She expected one of his characteristic snide remarks or half-joking comments about how she couldn't wait to get him into bed, or how much she just wanted to see him naked. But none such comment came. He just gave her a long look with those oddly coloured eyes, then nodded and scooted to the side to give her room next to him in the bed.

Gratefully she climbed into the bed and curled up against him, resting her head heavily on his smooth, pale chest. He wrapped those long, languid arms around her and she could feel his fingers run through her hair soothingly.

"Another dream…?" he asked softly. She nodded, and screwed her eyes shut in a vain attempt to keep the tears at bay, but in the end she still lay there crying bitterly into his chest.

Author's notes: I had trouble sleeping and decided to make myself a goodnight story… but it kinda backfired 'cause this really didn't make me sleepy at all. More depressed than anything else really...

Nah, but I really hate those kinda dreams when you meet someone you love, who's dead, 'cause when you wake up you feel so happy to meet that person again- but then you realise that said person is still gone.

Hope it didn't come out too confusing- I wrote it very quickly! Please review and tell me what you thought.


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